Holder.



PATENTED JULY 14, 1908.

E; MORBLL.

HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPTA, 1907 V IN VEN T05 .5 Z gin .flrell WITNESSES M ELGIN MORELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1908.

Application filed. September 4, 1907. Serial No. 391,286.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELGIN MoRELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of the Bronx, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Holders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has in view the provision of an improved holder for brooms and other like articles, the holder operating to automatically grip the handle of the broom or other device under the action of its weight as it is inserted, and suspend it in a substan tially vertical position.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a device of this character of simple construction, which is adjustable to suit handles of varying size and which will apply a gripping force to the handle of the article proportionate to its weight.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the holder complete; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same showing a handle in gripping position and in seo tion, and Fig. 3 is a section on the lines 33 of Figs. 1 and 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The invention in its preferred embodiment comprises an arm 5 having a finger 6 curved to one side at its forward free end, and a plate 7 positively turned at its inner end, which is provided with screw-holes for securing the arm in a fixed position.

Adjustable on the inside of the arm 5 and arranged in a substantially vertical plane whenthe holder is applied, is a member 8 having a guideway in opposed position to the finger 6 and inclining downwardly and forwardly. Within this guideway a sphere 9 is freely movable and is held against lateral displacement by the construction of the guideway which, as shown, is slightly greater than a semi-circle in cross section. Stops 10 arranged at the opposite ends of the member prevent the displacement of the sphere through the guideway in a longitudinal direction.

The connection between the member 8 and arm 5 is preferably effected by constructing the former with a slotted lug 11, through which the said arm passes, the lug being pro- 12 which is adapted to engage with any one of a series of vertical grooves 13 formed in the outside of the arm; this construction adapting the member 8 to be shifted to and from thefinger 6, whereby the holder may be adjusted to suit broom and other handles of vided with a key any required size.

From the construction of the holder it is clear that on passing the handle of an article between the finger 6 and sphere 9, the latter will be drawn down under the weight of the article and thus securely grip the handle and retain it in substantially a vertical position. The force applied to the handle by the sphere will be proportionate to the weight of the article, since the greater the pull on the handle the further the sphere is moved down in the inclined guideway which carries it closer to the finger 6.

The invention as shown and described while being my preferred practical construction of the holder,'I nevertheless recognize that the details of construction may be modified within the scope of the claims anneXed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: I

1. In a device of the character described, an arm having a finger, a member slidable on the arm having a downwardly and forwardly inclined guideway arranged in a substantially vertical plane, a gripping element freely movable in said guideway in opposed position to said finger and means for securing said member to said arm, with the finger at varying distances from said element.

2. In a device of the character described, an arm having a finger and provided with a plurality of grooves, a member having a slotted lug through which said arm passes, and provided with a downwardly and forwardly inclined guideway arranged in a substantially vertical plane, a key passing through said lug and engaging one of said grooves, and a sphere freely movable in said guideway in opposed position to said finger.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' ELGIN MORIDLL. Witnesses GEORGE WATTLEY, Gnonen A. KnLLoee. 

